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**Udog** · 10-31-2017, 08:23 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

— World Series has been tied 2-2 42 times; the Game 5 winner won 28 of those 42 World Series.

— Knicks 116, Denver 110— Porzingis had 38, Knicks are fun to watch. I wonder why?

— Celtics 108, Spurs 94— San Antonio lost its last three games.

— Warriors 141, Clippers 113— Game was 74-57 at half; Clippers had been #1 in defense.

— Chiefs 29, Broncos 19— Broncos are now 0-3 on the road; their QB’s are substandard.

— Happy birthday to former LSU hoop coach Dale Brown, who turns 82 today.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) New England traded backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers last night for a 2nd-round pick next April, but the 49ers’ 2nd-round pick figures to be the 33rd pick, pretty much a first round pick. Patriots don’t have a backup QB on their roster right now; would they be the team that signs Colin Kaepernick?

12) Following Twitter during the baseball game Sunday night was funny; people are so fickle, they overreact quickly and in a 13-12, 10-inning game, there is a lot to comment on.

11) One thing the great baseball game obscured was a pretty good football game in Detroit; Lions were putrid in red zone, scoring 9 points on five drives. Steelers’ JoJo Schuster-Smith caught a 97-yard touchdown pass, right after the Lions were stuffed on a goal-line stand by Pittsburgh.

10) Astros’ payroll this year is $124,343,900, broken down this way:
— Justin Verlander makes $28M a year, but he was only in Houston for a month, so his money isn’t included in the $124M figure you see up above.
— Other four starting pitchers made a combined $17,239,500 this season.
— Catcher Brian McCann makes $17M, DH Carlos Beltran makes $16M
— Yuli Gurriel, Josh Reddick made a combined $27.4M this season.
— Altuve/Springer/Correa/Bregman earned a combined $9.661,900 this season.

At some point, Astros have to shed some of these hitters and add pitching, or else we’re in for an endless stream of 13-12 playoff games. Gurriel/Reddick’s contracts seem excessive, Altuve is going to break the bank when he hits free agency (his agent is Scott Boras)

Seems logical that out of Correa/Springer/Bregman, two of them will wind up elsewhere.

Verlander is on the books for 2018 and 2019, both at $28M a season.

9) Detroit Lions gained 482 yards Sunday night but didn’t score a TD; only 1994 Bengals (496 yards vs Seattle) and ’86 49ers (501 yards vs Washington) gained more yards without scoring a touchdown.

8) Washington Nationals named Dave Martinez manager; he has been Joe Maddon’s right-hand man for several years……….Phillies named Gabe Kapler skipper- both guys are first-time major leaguer managers.

7) ESPN’s Mike Breen also does play-by-play for the Knicks on MSG Network; he is the best at what he does because he is fair and smart.

Monday night, Knicks’ Doug McDermott took a 3-pointer in transition with 0:06.9 left in first quarter; he made it, but Denver came down an hit a 3-pointer of their own at the buzzer to end the quarter. Breen simply said: “That is why coaches like to hold the ball to take the last shot of a quarter, so the other team can’t score.”

6) Boston Celtics got an $8.4M salary cap exemption because of Gordon Hayward’s injury; they have to use it by March 10.

5) College basketball starts next week; Missouri Valley Conference is going downhill, with both Creighton/Wichita State jumping ship in recent years. Missouri State/Illinois State are expected to be the Valley’s frontrunners this winter.

4) Houston Texans traded disgruntled LT Duane Brown to Seattle, for CB Jerome Lane, a 5th round pick next year and a 2nd round draft pick in 2019.

3) You wonder why baseball teams coddle pitchers? Because they only last so long— look at the career of Fernando Valenzuela— from age 19-25, Valenzuela was 99-68, with an ERA of 2.94- he threw 257+ innings five years in a row. He was box office gold, for sure.

From age 26-36, he went 74-85, with an ERA of 4.55, bouncing around between five teams. You only have so many pitches in your arm. Valenzuela threw 149 pitches in a playoff game when he was 20. If that happened today (it wouldn’t), heads would roll.

2) Ticket brokers apparently own 15,000 tickets to both Games 6-7 of the World Series; should Houston win Game 6, those brokers would lose out of a potential $20M in profits with no Game 7 to benefit from.

1) RIP Lewis D’Antoni, 103, who passed away this weekend; the father of Rockets coach Mike and Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni, Lewis D’Antoni was a coach himself— I saw him interviewed in the stands at a Marshall game a couple years ago, when he was 101. Lot of energy even then; he lived a full life. RIP, sir.

**Udog** · 10-31-2017, 08:28 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Tuesday, October 31

Houston @ LA Dodgers

Game 911-912
October 31, 2017 @ 8:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
(Verlnder) 19.897
LA Dodgers
(Hill) 16.322
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 3 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
-130
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(+110); Over

MLB
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 31

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HOUSTON (111 - 67) at LA DODGERS (113 - 62) - 8:15 PM
JUSTIN VERLANDER (R) vs. RICH HILL (L)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 53-53 (-17.1 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
VERLANDER is 64-77 (-25.1 Units) against the money line in road games in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HOUSTON is 111-67 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 28-18 (+8.8 Units) against the money line on the road when the money line is +125 to -125 this season.
HOUSTON is 55-33 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
HOUSTON is 45-20 (+21.2 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 39-23 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
HOUSTON is 42-27 (+10.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VERLANDER is 35-12 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game since 1997. (Team's Record)
VERLANDER is 13-5 (+8.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season. (Team's Record)
LA DODGERS are 106-125 (-35.7 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game since 1997.
LA DODGERS are 149-108 (-13.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 33-27 (-14.9 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 3-2 (+1.1 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JUSTIN VERLANDER vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
VERLANDER is 2-0 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 4.05 and a WHIP of 0.700.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+1.0 units)

RICH HILL vs. HOUSTON since 1997
HILL is 2-1 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 2.85 and a WHIP of 1.098.
His team's record is 3-4 (-2.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-2. (+2.6 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, October 31

Houston @ Los Angeles
Astros are 2-5 on road in playoffs, outscored by opponents 42-21. Under is 7-5-1 in their last 13 games. Dodgers are 9-4 in the playoffs, 5-2 at home. Since 1903, the Game 5 winner when series was tied 2-2 is 28-14 in that World Series.

Verlander is 8-0, 1.45 in one starts for the Astros; he also won a game in relief. Four of his last five starts went over the total. Houston is 4-0 in his road starts. He is 1-0, 2.57 in two starts against the Dodgers this season and is 11-5 with a 3.28 RA in 21 career playoff games (20 starts).

Hill is 3-2, 2.14 in his last eight starts, 0-0, 2.77 in three playoff starts this month (13 IP total in 3 games). Three of his last four starts went over. Dodgers are 10-7 in his home starts; he is 1-2, 3.72 in seven career playoff starts, 0-0, 2.25 in one starts against the Astros this season.

MLB

Tuesday, October 31

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Trend Report
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HOUSTON @ LA DODGERS
Houston is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Houston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
LA Dodgers is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
LA Dodgers is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston

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**Udog** · 10-31-2017, 08:31 AM

World Series Game 6 betting preview and odds: Astros at Dodgers

Justin Verlander received a no-decision in Game 2 and has never won a World Series game, going 0-3 with a 6.43 in four career starts with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.

Houston Astros at Los Angeles Dodgers (-115, 7.5)

Astros lead series 3-2

Justin Verlander was acquired to bolster Houston's starting pitching for a postseason run and the veteran right-hander has a chance to pitch the Astros to their first World Series title when he faces the host Los Angeles Dodgers in Tuesday's Game 6. Verlander received a no-decision in Game 2 and has never won a World Series game, going 0-3 with a 6.43 in four career starts with the Detroit Tigers and Houston.

The 34-year-old Verlander has more than does his job since joining the Astros - he is 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 10 total appearances (nine starts) - but fully understands one more big outing is needed. "These games are what it's all about," Verlander told reporters Monday. "These are the moments that you want to be a part of as a baseball player. It's everything you could ask for." Houston is in position to clinch after Sunday's 13-12, 10-inning victory, the second wild game of a World Series featuring a record 22 homers. "Obviously, we want to be the last team standing on the field, win the last game of the season, that's the goal," Los Angeles third baseman Justin Turner said at a press conference. "But you have literally the two best teams in baseball are going at it. It's the clash of the titans right now, and I don't think there's a single moment of this season that will be unforgettable."

TV: 8:20 p.m. ET, FOX

LINE HISTORY: The moneyline for this critical Game 6 opened with the Dodgers as faily large home favorites at -125. Since opening last night the betting public has been on Verlander and the Astros, forcing books to drop the Dodgers down to the current number of -115. The total hit the betting boards at 7.5 and has yet to move.

WEATHER REPORT:

It should be another near perfect evening in Los Angeles.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Justin Verlander (4-0, 2.05 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Rich Hill (0-0, 2.77)

Verlander gave up just two hits in his Game 2 outing at Dodger Stadium but both were homers (to Joc Pederson and Corey Seager) as he gave up three runs in six innings. Not having a World Series win might be the lone thing missing from a stellar career resume that includes 11 career postseason victories. "As soon as the postseason starts, you're living or dying on every single pitch, and your whole team is living or dying on every single pitch," Verlander said. "It changes everything."

Hill was the recipient of a quick hook from manager Dave Roberts despite giving up one run and three hits and striking out seven in four innings in Game 2. Roberts hinted that Hill will have a longer leash in Game 6 and the 37-year-old proclaims himself ready for the task. "It's something that all of us have been preparing our entire careers for," Hill told reporters. "Going out there in Game 6 and having the ability to be in that position, and go out there and leave everything on the field, is just an amazing thought."

UMPIRE REPORT: Dan Iassogna

Dan Iassogna gets the home plate assignment Tuesday night for Game 6. During the 2017 season, home teams are an astronomical 21-7 (including one playoff game) which equates to a home winning percentage of 75 percent. In games in which the home team is -101 to -120 they went a perfect 6-0 with Iassogna calling balls and strikes.

TRENDS:

* Astros are 9-0 in Verlander's nine starts since joining the team.
* Dodgers are 5-1 in their last 6 playoff home games.
* Dodgers are 5-1 in Hill's last 6 starts.
* Over is 6-1 in Astro's last 7 road games vs. a left-handed starter.
* Astros are 2-7 in the last 9 meetings in Los Angeles.

CONSENSUS: The public is siding with the red-hot Verlander in Game 6, with 51 percent of wagers on the Astros. With another hot pitcher on the mound, bettors like the Under here with 51 percent of the totals wagers picking below the posted number.

WALK OFF NOTES:

* Dodgers' 1B Cody Bellinger is on a 4-for-7 roll with one homer, one triple and two doubles after opening the World Series with 13 hitless at-bats. Astros' OF George Springer reached base five times (three walks, one single, one homer) in Game 5 and has gone deep three times in the series.

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Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/31

Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/31

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